Q & A

March 19, 2006

Matthew Spillane is a seventh-grader at LaSalle Intermediate Center. He will compete March 31 in the state-level National Geographic Bee in Indianapolis. If he wins, he will advance to the national finals May 23 and 24 at Washington, D.C. Q: How did your interest in geography grow?A: I've always been interested in traveling. I've been to England, and when I was there, it was fun to see all these different cultures and how they do everything differently from our normal thinking of what life is like. Q: What do you look for when you look at maps?A: The first thing I do is find things that seem odd to me. For instance, inside South Africa there is a whole country engulfed by another whole country. I thought that was cool. Q: Are you excited about the prospect of advancing to Washington, D.C.?A: Yeah. That would be great if I could go because the winner gets a $25,000 scholarship. And it's televised so it's a pretty big deal. It would be cool to go to that. -- Staff writer Michael Wanbaugh